Israel’s Naftali Bennett Is Calling for Jihad

[Israeli]

The dispute over the illegal outpost Amona shows how the hard-liner plans to lead the right wing against the government.

Haaretz Editorial Oct 08, 2016

Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett said last week that “we must give our lives” for the annexation of the West Bank to Israel. This isn’t an eccentric zealot or a rabbi who sends the so-called hilltop youth to attack Palestinians and their property. It’s the education minister, a member of the security cabinet and the leader of a party in the governing coalition.

We “have to move from a holding action to a decisive action,” said Bennett, who likes to use military terms and wax nostalgic over his military service. He also urged Israelis to “mark the dream – Judea and Samaria will be part of sovereign Israel. We must act today and give our lives” for the cause.

Bennett was speaking at a conference in Jerusalem in memory of settler leader Hanan Porat, one of the Gush Emunim leaders who clashed with Labor governments in the ‘70s over the West Bank settlements. Bennett used the historical context to outflank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the right and criticize him over the plans to evacuate the illegal outpost Amona by the end of the year.

Under heavy international pressure, Netanyahu is seeking a solution to the delay in evacuating Amona, which reflects ongoing contempt for the law and the High Court of Justice. As prime minister, he is seeking a compromise between the court’s ruling and the settlers, who are threatening him.

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